Recovery housing: funding

The law sets statewide funding conditions for recovery housing serving people with substance use disorders who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It preserves residents’ access to medication and limits eviction or discharge after a return to substance use.

What the law does ​

• Requires applicants for state homelessness funding for recovery housing to show that harm-reduction-focused permanent housing is available in their jurisdiction.
• Conditions state funding on Housing First compliance, abstinence emphasis, peer and recovery-supportive features, participant-driven nonclinical services, and voluntary links to licensed treatment.
• Requires programs to offer residents a harm-reduction housing option before they choose recovery housing, unless participation is court ordered.
• Bars eviction solely for relapse unless another lease violation occurred, and requires relapse support.
• Requires overdose-response training, readily accessible onsite overdose-reversal medication, and a written nonpunitive return-to-use policy.
• Requires permanent and interim programs to keep a resident housed until comparable harm-reduction housing is secured when the resident wants to leave or faces eviction or discharge, unless the resident rejects that placement.
• Requires operators and local state-fund grantors to document alleged lease or program violations and report them to the state agency administering the housing funds.

Who it affects ​

• Recovery housing programs seeking state funding.
• People living in permanent or interim recovery housing.
• Local entities that award state recovery-housing funds.